Supporter



' Jan. 14, 1941. SAFTLAS arm.

SUPPORTER Filed Oct; 14, 1932 Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES SUPPORTER Joseph Saftlas and Joseph Diamond, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to said Saftlas Application October 14, 1932,- Serial No. 637,832

Claims. (01. 2-240 This invention relates to supporters for articles of wearing apparel, and to integral washable units including a supporter and an article supported thereby such, for example, as stock- 5 ings having garters permanently secured thereto.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a supporter, and particularly an elastic supporter, for use as a separate article from'that supported thereby, or as an integral part of a combination unit, which, in either case,

will be highly eflicient in use, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and readily washable.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the numberof component parts of the supporter l5 toa minimum, whereby the number of cutting and seaming operations necessary to produce the supporter, or a combination unit including the supporter,'will accordingly be reduced to a minimum, and whereby, and as a result of the relatively low number of seams in the supporter and unit, maximum comfort for the wearer will be obtained.

Theconstruction of the unit, and particularly that of the supporter, will be more fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawing; of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one form of unit including a stocking and an integrally attached garter applied to the limb of a wearer;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the unit shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a simple modification of the unit shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating a detail of the construction.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, illustrating a 40 modified connection.

Fig.7 is a sectional View taken on the line ll-II of Fig. 6.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the combination unit therein disclosed comprises a stocking I,

Which in the present illustrations takes the form of half hose having a welt 2, which may be of either the turned type or ribbed top commonly employed in mens half hose.

The unit also comprises a garter 5 which consists of a single continuous strip 6 having one end 1 adapted to be permanently secured to the welt 2 of the stocking, preferably at or immediately adjacent the top edge 3 thereof, as by stitching 8. The strip 6 is arranged to extend upwardly, on one side of the leg from the stitching 8, at or adjacent the 'front of the stocking, at an angle with respect'to' the top edge 3' of the welt, and to pass around the back of the leg above the thick calf portion thereof, as illustrated at 9, thence around the opposite side of the leg and downwardly toward the edge 3 of the welt 2 of the stocking, at a corresponding angle to the portion of the strip disposed at the first said side of the leg. The second end [0 of the single continuous strip 6 is adapted to be secured to the welt 2, at or adjacent the front of the stocking, in laterally spaced relation to the end 1 of the strip, the end 10 of said strip being arranged to be permanently secured to the welt of the stocking as by stitching ll.

In order to insure against the intermediate back portion 9 of the band or strip 6 slipping downwardly on the calf of the leg the strip 6 is joined adjacent its opposite ends land [0, above the edge 3 of the stocking, and for this 0 purpose a strap I2 is "provided and arranged to extend across the front of the leg in spaced sub-' stantially parallel relation to the upper edge 3 of the welt 2, said strap having'its opposite ends l3 and M respectively secured to the strip or band 6 at or immediately adjacent one longitudinal edge l8 thereof at points spaced upwardly from the ends 1 and I0 respectively of the said strip 6, said junctures being disposed at opposite sides of the leg respectively. 30

Reference to Figs. 1 and 2 will show that the portion l5 of the strip 6, lying between the end 1 of the strip 6 and the juncture thereof with the end I 3 of the strap I2, and the portion; of the stripa, lying between the end ill of the 35 strip 6 and the juncture with the end [4 of the strap l2, are disposed at a greater angle with respect to the top edge 3 of the welt than is the intermediate or back portion 9 of the strip 6.

The strip 6 at the points of connection with 40 the ends l3 and I4 of the strap l2 is'smoothly curved in the plane of the strip, as illustrated in detail in Fig. 4, the curves 20 being maintained by stitching I! located adjacent and parallel to the longitudinal edge l8 of the strip, and 4 by'which the ends of the strap [2 are permanently secured to the strip 6. The curvatures 20 of the strip, and the maintenance of the strip in this smooth fiat curved condition is produced and obtained during the assembly of the garter 50 elements, by longitudinally stretching the edge l8 of the strip 6 and transversely stretching the edge of the end of the strap l2 during the stitching of theseparts together.

The said stretching of the one edge l8 of the 55 strip 6 relative to the other edge l9 thereof and the production of the easy curves in these edges without causing a puckering or bulging of the strip between the edges, at the joints, is made possible by reason of the strip 6 and the strap l2 being composed of a flattened tube of circularly knit elastic fabric of the character disclosed in the co-pending application of Joseph Saftlas, Serial No. 634,609, filed September 23, 1932, wherein the fabric disclosed consists of successive transversely extending spirally progressing courses of stitches composed wholly or in part of an elastic thread. These stitch courses, in the double ply strip resulting from the flattening of the circular knit tube, run in a zig-zag or wave-like manner throughout the length of the strip 5, while the stitch wales extend longitudinally of the strip, thus the strip may be readily stretched along one of its edges without causing the strip to bulge or wrinkle.

It will be noted that the units shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprise but four seams each, namely, the seams 8, 8a and H, Ila, where the opposite ends of the strips 6, 6a. are secured to the stockings I, la, and the seams I'Ll'i, Ha, Ha where the opposite ends [3, M and 13a, Ma of the strap-s I 2 and l2a are secured to the strips 6, B'a.

The form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3 is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the exception that the portions I51: and Mia of the strip 6a, adjacent the ends Ta and HM thereof, are each disposed at an angle which forms a continuation of the angle at which the intermediate portion 9a. of the strip is disposed with respect to the top edge 3a of the welt 2a of the stocking la, the strap 12a, as in Figs. 1 and 2, being disposed substantially parallel to the top edge 3a of the stocking.

In order to avoid the appearance of raw edges on the finished articles shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the seams may be formed in the manner illustrated in either Figs. 4 and 5 or as illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, for example, the raw cut edge 2! of the end I3 of the strap l2 lies between the body of the strap 12 and one face of the strip 6. The end I3 of the strip I2 is first laid flat on one face of the strip 6 and is then secured to the strip 6 by a row of stitches Ile, after which the strap I2 is folded upon itself and a second row of stitches l1 secures the strap [2 to the strip 6 in overlapping relation to the cut edge 2| of the strap l2.

In Figs. 6 and 7, the flattened tubular strip 6g is shown as being slitted along one of its longitudinal edges lBg where the strap lZg is arranged to connect thereto, the cut edge 2| g of the strap l2g being inserted within the slit of the tube and secured in place by a row of stitches I'Ig adjacent the edge lag of the strip and by zig-zag stitching I'lh which, adjacent the stitches Hg, pass through the two plies of the flattened tubular strip 6g and through the end of the strap l2g inserted therebetween, and through the strap [29 outside the cut edges I8g of the slit in the strip 6g, whereby the raw edges produced by the slitting of the strip are hidden and prevented from raveling or fraying.

We claim:

1. A washable unit of wearing apparel comprising a stocking and a single continuous strip having its opposite ends permanently stitched to and adjacent the front of the stocking in laterally spaced relation to each other with portions of said strip adjacent said ends respectively extending upwardly from and at an angle with respect to the upper edge of the stocking, an intermediate portion disposed at a lesser angle to the top edge of the stocking than the said end portions, curved portions of the strip connecting said intermediate portion with said end portions thereof, and a strap above and extending substantially parallel to the front of the said upper edge of the stocking and having its opposite ends permanently stitched to the said curved portions of the strip.

2. A washable unit of wearing apparel comprising a stocking and a single continuous strip having its opposite ends permanently secured to and adjacent the front of the stocking in laterally spaced relation to each other, the portion adjacent said ends extending upwardly from and at an angle to the upper edge of the stocking, and an intermediate portion of the strip between said end portions disposed at a lesser angle to the top edge of the stocking than said end portions, and a strap above and extending substantially parallel to the front of the said upper edge of the stocking and having its opposite ends respectively and permanently attached to the said strip where the intermediate'portion of the strip blends into the said end portions thereof, said strip and the said ends of the strap at the points of attachment of the ends of the strap to the strip being stretched and stitched longitudinally of and along one edge'of the strip, producing curved portions connecting the intermediate and end portions of the strip and maintained in such condition by the stitching by which the ends of the strap are secured to the strip.

3. A hosiery unit for use with different lengths and dimensions of legs, comprising in combination with a hose, a hose supporter having an elastic loop permanently attached at its ends to the top portion of the hose at opposite sides thereof, and a cross strip positioned transversely of the leg and secured at its ends to said loop and being of such length as to deflect said loop into angularly related portions above and below said strip.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 further characterized in that said elastic loop is elastic throughout its length.

5. A hosiery unit comprising in combination with a hose, an elastic loop whose ends are permanently connected toopposite sides of the top of the hose and substantially perpendicular thereto, and a member connecting the sides of said loop and positioned transversely thereof.

JOSEPH SAF'ILAS. JOSEPH DIAMOND. 

